It takes a large group of folks to make the Birdathon the success it has been for more than 30 years. This includes our teams, enthusiastic volunteers and, of course, those who are willing to sponsor a team or individual or just make a general pledge to the Birdathon. Thanks to all of these efforts, $24,320 was raised this year. We were able to fund all of the grant requests serving to fulfill our mission to promote the stewardship and enjoyment of the birds of central Indiana.

Gardening for the Birds; International Crane Foundation; Cavities — The Good Kind; The Making of Daubenspeck Community Nature Park; Meet the Board: Adam Barnes; May Program: Dawn to Dusk: Two Young Birders Take on a Big Day; Indiana Young Birder Q&A with Aidan Rominger; Event Recaps; Lots of Local Hikes, Kankakee Sand Field Trip; Beers with Birders

It's time to donate to this year's Birdathon. We have a great lineup of grants this year and fourteen teams will be taking to the field soon for their big days. We wish all the teams luck as they scour the state in search of birds. And a special welcome to the new teams this year. We will be updating counts on the Birdathon page as the teams finish and report their totals. For more details on this year's grants, take a look a the Birdathon page, or go directly to the donation page to help us raise the $31,000 for this years grants. As always, thank you to all the generous donors that have made Birdathon a success for over 30 years. Make a difference! Make a pledge!

In March the Greenfield Birders installed 16 bird houses at Beckenholdt Park, one of their favorite local parks in Greenfield, Indiana. Adam and Sara Wilson, along with Carole Blaser, were the proud recipients of grant money funded by the National Audubon Society and the Amos Butler Audubon Society to purchase, construct, and install these 16 birdhouses. Their hope is that the newly provided housing will replace some of the lost habitat for cavity nesters such as Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows.

A Birder’s Guide to Hosting Rarities; Indiana Young Birder Q&A with Matthias Benko; Going Green: A Rewarding Way to Go Birding; March Program: Bubbly Birder Big Year; April Program: A Journey to the Bottom of the World; May Program: Dawn to Dusk: Two Young Birders’ Take on a Big Day; 2 Goose Pond Field Trips; Waterfowl ID Workshop; Meet the Board: Ted Meyer; Field Trip Recaps; Upcoming Field Trips and Local Bird Hikes

A Guide to Survive Winter Birding in Indiana; The Birding World through Podcasts; January Program: Exploring the Incredible Country of Ecuador; February Program: The Road to 1,000; Relaunching Lights Out Indy; Goose Pond Field Trip; CBC for Kids; Lakefront Field Trip; Waterfowl ID Workshop; Meet the Board: Amy Hodson; Local Bird Hikes

Ted accepted the responsibility of Treasurer in 2010. A position he has held since, keeping the organization’s books in good order and informing the Board of all financial activities. Ted has also volunteered multiple times when needed to fill a job. For instance, in 2013 no one could be found who was willing be ABAS President. Even though he was the Treasurer and often out of state, Ted stepped up to the plate and took on the additional position, presiding over Board meetings and making decisions critical to the functioning of the chapter for two years when he recruited Rob Ripma for the job. In early 2017 when a new website was being created, once again Ted stepped in learning the ropes of administering a webpage and using his skills to add the content and facilitate updates.

This year Granite City is again generously supporting ABAS by donating 20% of your tab when you dine there on August 22. It's good at either location – downtown on Maryland St. or north on 96th St. near Meridian. Be sure to click on Read More to print out the flyer below and hand it to your server.